Webb's Wicked Wiles
by frostedteardrops
Summary: Sirius Black has wronged Norah Wiles one time too many. Now it's time for revenge.
1. Chapter 1

The pumpkin juice in my mug was sloshing precariously close to the edge. I'd stood up quickly, falling not exactly gracefully over the bench. Just my luck, right when I thought the liquid was safe, I felt my cup collide with something – or rather, someone.

Right on the belt buckle too! A sharp metallic snap rang out from the collision of ceramic and metal.

And then the pumpkin juice over flowed the edges of the mug. Straight down this random, innocent passer-by's trousers. Damn.

"S-sorry," I stuttered, looking up nervously. "I really didn't—"

Okay. A not-so-innocent passer-by after all. My eyes shot away from the area right below his belt where I'd been transfixed with watching the liquid seep through his trousers, finally realizing how awkward and inappriopriate that was. Damn my slow reactions. My eyes roved up, above the belt, to the snugly fit cashmere red and gold argyle sweater vest, to the unbuttoned white dress shirt, to the creamy column of my victim's neck, to grey eyes—

Great. Just my luck. Of all the possible people in Hogwarts, of course it just _had_ to be Sirius Black.

A horrified expression adorned his face. Damn, he did not look at all pleased. I mentally berated myself. I mean, _of course_ he didn't look pleased – I wouldn't either, if he were me.

A chuckle came from behind him. "Oi, Padfoot, did you just wet yourself?"

Sirius whirled around, "Piss," he said to James, almost snarling really.

A fuller laugh reached my ears; Remus Lupin had now joined the growing audience. Great, just what I needed, more of a crowd.

"Is that a double entendre?" Remus asked wittily.

"Er—" I tried to cut in meekly. "I'm really sorry, honestly – didn't mean to – spill juice on you."

Sighing deeply as though it cost him a great effort, Sirius glanced down at himself and his now soaked pants in a rather unfortunate region, and turned to look back at me. "It's alright, I suppose..." he trailed off.

Of course. He couldn't even remember my name. Under better circumstances, I might've helped him out. But, but. That one sigh had rather irked me, so I decided to let him suffer a bit.

"Webb. Norah Webb," Remus whispered out of the corner of his mouth. I glared at him slightly. Yeah boy, I saw that. At least he had the decency to look half abashed.

"Webb. Norah Webb," Sirius repeated lamely. Sheesh, what an idiot. Realizing his error, he froze. "I mean, Norah." I smirked slightly, unable to help it. I mean, how else was I expected to react? His face turned stony. "You might want to watch where you're going, next time," he said icily.

"Ex_cuse_ me?" I asked incredulously. "I mean, I was just here, getting up as per normal. _You_," and here I jabbed a finger at the centre of his sweater vest, "walked into my mug." He looked about to retort, but I trundled on. "In fact, I think you owe me an apology."

He stared at me in disbelief. "Are you _for real_?"

Now we were beginning to attract a crowd of attention in earnest. Half the Gryffindor table was now turned in our direction, peering at us with widely peeled ears. Even better. Several girls were batting their eyes at Sirius. They probably thought it was sexy or something.

I thought it made them look like constipated cows.

"I mean, _clearly_, you've just spilt pumpkin juice _down my pants_," clarified Sirius, as though that cleared everything up.

I swear, a collective sigh went rippling down the table at the phrase "down my pants". Shameful.

"Well, I would suggest you go change your pants," I said snottily. "I mean, from where I'm standing, it sure as hell looks like you just peed your pants."

Now a chuckle riffled down the table, followed by a bit of nervous twittering. Good; I liked making them squirm – besides, it was none of their business to be paying attention to a private conversation anyhow.

Sirius's face now turned stoically devoid of emotion, and I was momentarily stunned by a flicker of fear. I forced it away. And then I realized I was pretty much half standing, half sitting, straddling the bench still. Wonderful pose, really.

Stiffly, he asked bitingly, "And _who_ are you again?"

That completely did it. I swung my other leg over the bench and stood up straight. Okay, so maybe it wasn't that impressive, considering that I was nearly a head shorter than him. Anyway – I lifted my mug and dumped the rest of its contents on his front. Then I set the mug back down on the table with a loud clang.

A stunned silence ensued. Awkward! So I turned, smiled stiffly at James, "Potter, I'll see later," and marched grandly out of the hall, revelling in Sirius's confused expression. Okay, okay, so along the way I nearly tripped over my own shoelace. It drew a collective laugh from the people in the Great Hall, and then of course they went straightaway to gossiping about this rather unexpected turn of events.

But I was _pissed_ – downright _furious_. Okay, so maybe I wasn't nearly as possible as he was, but that comment – it was _way_ out of line. I will admit, I can be kind of a nerd sometimes. But I was too much of a slacker to be put into Ravenclaw, and thus, ended up in Gryffindor. And I'm usually pretty quiet – I'm shy, okay? But honestly, how _dare_ he? And okay, so we're already into Sixth Year, and I've still never had a relationship. Or a first kiss, for that matter. But still – stupid git. Who am I? _Who _am I?

I'll show him who I am!

I stomped up to the dormitories with a lot more force than necessary. At least everybody else was still at breakfast. I glanced at my watch. Quidditch tryouts were due to start in a quarter hour. I smirked slightly, wondering if Sirius would be late because he had to change.

He probably thinks I'm one of those nerdy girls with no athletic ability whatsoever. Well. I'll show him. Not only will I try out, I will _make the team_. Yeah. Who am I then? Psh.

Feeling considerably better, I fetch my broom quickly, fingering the beautiful ash handle of my Moontrimmer for a moment before skipping back out the portrait hole. And promptly nearly collided with someone.

This time, this someone was blond and looked horribly dishevelled.

Her mascara was all messed up and tear tracts trailed down her cheeks. "Norah," she said, her voice cracking.

Internally, I sighed. Of course I just had to run into Greta Catchlove _right_ now. This past summer, much to my chagrin, we became stepsisters. Our parents urged us to try and get along, look out for each other at Hogwarts, yada yada.

As. If. I mean, we're so different and everything...

"Greta," I said, trying to keep the exasperation from creeping in. "Now is really not a good time."

Greta is such a girly girl. I mean, even her name is prissy. She's always so dolled up and everything. I don't think she's even _touched_ a broomstick since First Year when we had to learn.

"Norah," she whimpered, "I really need to talk to you."

I push my glasses back up on the bridge of my nose. "Okay, but make it quick. What's up?"

"I – I – he – Sirius..."

"What? Spit it out already, Greta, I'm really in a hurry!"

"Sirius. He... cheated on me! Talk about public humiliation. And –" she trailed off into a wailing sob.

"That _bastard_," I snarled, even more furious with that dark haired, grey eyed, proclaimed Hogwarts hunk. What a load of codswallop.

Greta sniffed loudly. I wanted to tell her to stop – really, she looked very unattractive right now. Kind of hideous, honesty, what with the messed up make up and blotchy skin and...

Suddenly her claw like hand clasped my arm – hard. The tears and sobs stopped as suddenly as they'd started. "Don't," she said, annoyance obvious in her tone, "don't call him a bastard."

Say what? I couldn't believe she was defending that loser!

She looked down at the broomstick clutched tightly in my hand. "Where are you going? Why do you have a broom?"

I frowned at her. "Quidditch tryouts. Like, now. I have to go."

"Quidditch?" she repeated slowly.

"Yeah – I need to go, it starts in like, five minutes."

"For the Gryffindor team?"

"No, Slytherin. Yes Gryffindor, it's not exactly like I can try out for any other team, Greta."

"With Sirius?"

I hesitated. "Um... well, I suppose that idiot is on the team as well. How unfortunate," I added as an afterthought.

"But—"

I wrenched my arm away. "Greta, I've really got to go, alright?" And then I took off at a mad dash for the Quidditch pitch.

When I got there, the group of hopeful candidates was already amassed at one end of the pitch, mounted on their brooms. I hobbled up to James. "Am I late?"

"Webb, Webb, punctuality is very key." He grinned. "I thought you were going to be a no-show. Just hop on your broom; we're getting everyone to fly a couple laps of the pitch first, try to root out some of the weaker fliers."

I nod, and quickly mount my broom. As I take off, I hear Sirius demand angrily to his best friend, "What the hell is she doing here?"

Soon the exhilaration of being in the air overtakes me though, as I loop comfortably around the goal hoops, being very lax in my flying. James was right – clearly half the people here were having trouble simply maintaining a steady flight path. Half down, the other half to go.

Sirius had a very sour look on his face throughout the course of the tryouts. Not that I paid attention, or anything. Stupid git.

Next they put those of us remaining into groups and had us toss a Quaffle around and try to score on the Keeper. Don't think I didn't notice that I got stuck with the worst bunch there – probably Sirius's doing.

Nevertheless, I would say I performed passably well, even scoring twice. Okay, I admit, I let out a small cheer of jubilation when I scored. But then again, who wouldn't?

By this point, there were only about six of us left. We were sent back into the air, and they let the Beaters loose on us. I had a couple close calls with Bludgers barely whizzing by me, but I managed to avoid getting hit outright, for the most part. One guy was not so lucky – he got one straight in the nose and had to be taken to the hospital wing. Poor bloke. And then there were five.

By the time the drill was over, there were only four of us left. Pretty good odds, if I say so myself, because I felt that I'd done rather well, all things considered. We gathered around James and his clipboard. Sirius glared at me.

"Great job, everything. We have a tough decision ahead of us."

"Do we?" muttered Sirius snidely. Oh, I could tell who he'd already crossed of the list of options.

James continued on, his voice overlapping Sirius's. "The team is going to debate the remaining four of you – unfortunately, as you know, we only have one Chaser position available. And while all four of you are obviously qualified, we can only take the best. Because we're Gryffindors."

Sirius pretended to cough. It sounded an awfully lot like "coward." He lifted a Quaffle. "Think fast," he said, and slammed it at me.

With barely an oof, I managed to react and catch it just in time. I sent him a smug look. He scowled.

"Brilliant example, Sirius," James said, trying to dispel the tension. "As I'm sure you all aware, we've taken into account your flying abilities and Bludger avoiding skills, but being a Chaser requires fast reflexes, being able to catch, and more importantly, score."

"Like she could," scoffed Sirius softly. I heard him anyway. And caught the innuendo behind it. And I was pissed.

"So, we'll talk this over and – "

I hefted the Quaffle, and without warning, shoved it as hard as I could at Sirius. It slammed into his stomach, and he double over, groaning.

"Bastard," I said. Then I turned and walked away, feeling no remorse whatsoever.

I was going to get back at Sirius Black if it was the last thing I did. Get ready for Webb's wicked wiles.


	2. Chapter 2

_Breathe in._ I closed my eyes, concentrating on the swoosh of air going in, coming out. My eyelids swum dizzily, a pulsating shade of orange mingled with red from the bright sunlight. I focused on the gentle breeze rolling off the lake and swirling around me like a comforting safety blanket. I drank in the connection my bare feet felt with the ground, the grass, through the thin material of my yoga mat, feeling much as a tree would, its roots fixated to the earth, sucking up water.

Breathe out.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Okay, so maybe it seems like I'm a little bit out of my mind. I mean, honestly; getting up at seven in the morning, bright and early, on a Saturday to do yoga? Yep, maybe a little. But then again, I really _really_ want that position on the Quidditch team. Better start getting in shape if I mean business, you know?

Alright, alright, so seeing as how this is me, it'll last for maybe three days max. Before I give up my whole yoga-get-in-shape routine. But – how else will I find an excuse to wear my favourite Lululemon yoga pants my mom brought back from Canada for me? Because, let me just say, damn they make my butt look hot.

And I'm not even bragging about it.

Besides, they were super comfortable and felt so beautifully sleek, wrapped around my thighs, my knees, my calves; the tips of pants barely grazing the tops of my feet... okay, now that sounds almost inappropriately dirty.

I brought one foot up to rest it against the opposite thigh, and then clasped my palms in front of my chest, still with my eyes closed. There's something very serene about this, balancing on one foot early on a Saturday morning while everybody else is still up at the castle, asleep. And the sound of the waves lapping against the shore is somehow reassuring.

"Norah!"

Oh, piss. My eyes shot open at the unexpected interruption. And of course I toppled over onto the grass. Luckily I landed on my wrist and saved my previous pants from a serious grass stain. Except now my wrist hurt like hell.

I glared upwards, trying to find the source of this unwanted interruption.

Greta bounced up to me on the balls of her feet, perfectly manicured toenails peeking out from her flip flops. "Hey, Norah. Can we—can we talk?"

I sat up on my yoga mat, and then scooted over so she could join me. "Sure," I grumbled a little unwillingly. "Gosh, you could've given me a little more warning, Greta. Or at least not scared me like that."

At least she had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry." Her hands reached up and gathered her multi-toned blond hair into a quick and messy bun. A bun which still managed to look dashingly beautiful. Might as well have been born a Veela, my gosh.

I leaned forward, wrapping my arms around my knees and feeling kind of insignificant in my plain white tank top. Especially beside some blonde demi-goddess like Greta. But at least I had my Lululemon pants to console me.

Greta ripped up a blade of grass and began shredding it between her fingers, the juice dying her fingers an unsightly shade of green. It looked so wrong, against her pale skin and perfectly co-ordinated nails. In fact... the sight of her looking so desolate in general seemed kind of wrong.

"It's okay," I said at last. "What's up?"

"I just... I just needed someone to talk to."

"Yeah, and you couldn't talk to any of your friends?" I asked. Okay, so maybe that was a little harsh. But I mean, other than recently becoming stepsisters, in which we really had no say anyway, we didn't exactly have a claim to each other.

"Well, I kind of wanted to talk about Sirius, and couldn't really find a way to bring that up with them..." she trailed off uncertainly.

Gosh, where did that Hufflepuff loyalty go?

"Sirius? What do you want to talk about that annoying git face for?"

She looked at me annoyed. "Don't call him that."

Okay, there it was. I couldn't help it, and let out an indignant harrumph. "So, what happened between the two of you anyway?"

"It's... kind of complicated."

Damn, what was wrong with this girl? Why me? Oh why me, Merlin, why did I have to get stuck with such an annoying stepsister? I mean, I barely know this chick, and now not only did she want to talk about her crummy ex-boyfriend, she was now... not talking about her ex-boyfriend?

Girls are so complex. Why couldn't I have been born a boy? Sweet Circe...

"Well, are you going to tell me or not?" I asked impatiently. I was being a little short with her, sure, but can you blame me? I mean, considering the way she interrupted my perfectly beautiful morning? And besides, who gets up this early on a Saturday to talk anyway?

Her eyebrow puckered slightly in distaste at my lack of sensitivity. "Yeah," she said a little defensively. She sniffed. Rubbed her nose with her right hand. Picked at her left thumbnail. Chewed her left pinky. Brushed the stray hairs off of her forehead and behind her ears.

"Greta – get on with it, please. I'd like to have some breakfast sometime before noon, if that's alright with you?" At her somewhat dejected expression, I mentally berate myself a little. Why am I being such an impatient bitch to her today? "Sorry, I didn't mean it. Take your time."

"No, no, it's okay – I'll try to just spill it." She rubbed the tip of her delicate, slightly upturned nose again. "So the other night, we were hanging out in the Gryffindor Common Room – this was before curfew, Norah, don't worry – and me and Sirius were on the loveseat while Peter, Remus and James played Exploding Snap. And... I don't know, it was just so comfortable, and I couldn't stop myself."

After a heartbeat of silence, I prodded, "couldn't stop yourself from what?"

"I... I just blurted it out!"

"Blurted what out?"

"I mean, I can't even believe that I –"

"What did you say, Greta?" Damn, is the rest of this conversation going to be quite so roundabout as well? Because I'm not sure that I can take it, if it is.

"I told him that I loved him."

A sharp intake of breath. Oh, that was me. "No," I whispered. "Greta, you didn't." I paused. "So what happened after that?"

She sniffed. "Nothing. He didn't even look at me. Just kept looking at his friends like he didn't hear me. Except his buddies obviously heard, because they stopped playing and just stared at him. And all I could see was the side of his face turning bright red. Like he was embarrassed or something."

I sighed.

She continued. "And he didn't even acknowledge me, or the fact that I'd said something, despite the fact that we'd been cuddling moments before. And he'd been looking at me seconds ago. But, like, right in front of all his best friends, he just ignored me. It was so embarrassing!"

"I take it that this was what you meant yesterday by 'public humiliation'?"

Greta nodded her head vigorously, blonde hair cascading around her hair and shimmering like a halo with the movements of her not-so-bright noggin. "Yeah. So I just got up and ran out of the Common Room."

"Good on you – you don't need the likes of him."

"He ran out after me..."

Ugh, why was Greta such a weakling? I wanted to throttle her. And tell her to strengthen up already. Or maybe I wanted the Giant Squid to come shoot up out of the lake and swallow one of us, so I wouldn't have to endure this torture any longer. Preferably her – I don't think a watery fate being squid food is exactly preferable.

"Then he 'broke up' with me. Which is really ironic, actually, because when I'd wanted us to be official, he'd been so opposed to it. Like apparently we weren't actually 'serious', and he wanted to keep it mainly low key."

"Oh." I mean, what do I say to that? "Well, I guess it's all worked out for the best now, then, hasn't it?"

"Then last night, after they ran the Quidditch tryouts, he came and found me. Said he wanted to talk."

I reiterate – why was I stuck with a _weakling_, of all things?

"He apologized, said he didn't mean it. But he didn't want to get back together, no. Oh no, he wanted to be friends with _benefits_." She was bitter, definitely bitter, if you ask me.

"Oh no, Greta, you _didn't_."

She looked at me like I was stupid. "Of course not."

Oh. Wow. Wow. Really? Wasn't expecting that – guess maybe she's not quite as weak as I'd thought?

"Anyway, I gave him a piece of my mind just some really hot Ravenclaw girls rounded the corner into the corridor, and his entire deameanor changed. Tried to warp the situation to save face in front of them, I guess. So he goes, 'Greta, I'm really sorry and everything, but we are over. Honestly, being all clingy and needy isn't going to change anything, alright? I believe in monogamy, so I can't believe you were enough of a slut to cheat on me. I can't get over that.' And then he walked off to join the other girls."

Now I was just seeing red. Straight up red. "What. He. Called. You. A. Slut?"

She looked surprised. "Well, not directly and in quite so many words, but..."

I shot her an incredulous look. "Why aren't you more fired up about this? I'd be roaring damn pissed." I squeeze the edge of the mat between my toes, feeling the material compress and then bounce back. Strong.

"I am," she said. "And that's why I need your help." She had a sly look in her eyes. I really didn't like it.

"Oh no, oh no, Greta – there is no way that I'm going to help you try and get back together with him, alright? That is – I won't. Just putting that out there, right now."

She pooh-poohed at me. "Don't be absurd, Norah. What do you think I am, stupid or something?" Maybe a little, yeah. "No, no, I've got a much better idea. I want to publicly humiliate him as well."

I sighed deeply. She was hopeless. My stomach growled loudly in protest, clearly craving some sustenance. "Be still, beast," I chided, crossing my arms over my abs. "Honestly, Greta, it's really not worth it. Just let it go, okay?"

"No, no, I can't. It's not just for me, Norah – there are a few other girls in Hufflepuff; they've also all been messed with by Sirius. We have to get back at him. You know that movie, John Tucker Must Die? Well, we're taking a scene from that film."

What was she doing watching Muggle films? What a crazy kook. And isn't the saying, 'a page from that book'? "These things never end well... I would suggest not doing anything about it."

"But I need you!"

I looked at her, downright scandalized. "I am _not_ getting involved!" I thought she just had some crazy plan – now she wanted me to _participate_ as well? Wow, someone was definitely off her rocker.

"But we need to make him fall for you so that you can break his heart!"

"You shouldn't have gotten involved with such a player in the first place."

"Norah! Please."

My stomach grumbled again in protest. Damn. "I really need to get some breakfast, okay?" I made to get up, but she grabbed my wrist, clenching it in some massive death grip with those claws of hers. Who knew she had so much grip strength? I sure as hell didn't.

"I'll let you go if you agree."

"Greta – let go of my arm. I'm really hungry; come on, let's go get some breakfast."

"Norah, think of it – this is for the great good!"

"What greater good?" I snapped, getting a little annoyed now. "Let go of my arm."

She pouted up at me. "I'm not getting off your mat until you say yes."

"Then stay here all day, for all I care." I made leave, but her hand continued to restrain me.

When I looked back at her, she had a really triumphant gleam in her eyes. "I'm not letting go either."

Another huge gurgle emitted from my stomach. "Alright, alright, whatever, I'll do it, now let's _go._" I nudged her with my toe after she released my wrist. "Get off the mat so I can roll it up."

"Wait – I have to fix my lip gloss first." Was she for bloody serious? I guess so. She proceeded to take out a tube of shimmering red gloss, then applied it wetly to her lips, after offering it up to me. What audacity. I kneed her arm. She missed her lips and stabbed her nostrils with lip gloss.

Serves her right.

* * *

We rushed into the Great Hall at a mad dash. According to my time calculations, breakfast was almost over. And I really needed to grab some food before it was all cleared out! We scanned the crowded tables – both her house's and mine – for any empty seats.

"Norah!" a voice called out. It was James Potter. I grinned brightly and waved, then began weaving my way over to him. My heart started thudding against my rib cage. Was he going to mention the Quidditch tryouts? Greta followed me over.

"Hey James," I greeted.

"Norah – just the girl I wanted to see."

"What's with the mat?" asked Remus, indicating my rolled up pastel green yoga mat.

"I was just doing some early morning yoga," I said, smiling brightly at James. Hopefully he'd think I had dedication and flexibility and was just overall athletic.

"Norah," Greta murmured in my ear. I ignored her. She nudged my elbow. I continued to ignore her.

"Yoga?" asked James. "Hmm... I don't know if I've heard of that... but do those pants have anything to do with it?"

"Yeah, why?" I asked, reaching forward to grab a roll from the basket.

Greta wrenched me around to look at Peter. His eyes were fixated on something and his mouth was practically salivating. And it wasn't food.

Damn... was he looking at my arse? Oh my... he was!

"Peter – stop being such a perv!" said Remus, laughing as he caught the indignant expression on both my face and Greta's.

Peter's head shot up, embarrassed at getting caught. His mouth hung open, eggs spilling forth unattractively.

"Well, it's not Peter's fault," said Sirius. Wow, I hadn't noticed him brooding there. By the way her head whipped around, neither had Greta. Sirius didn't even bother to look at her. His words started to sink in... was that actually a disguised compliment? "She's kind of asking for it, wearing such provocative pants."

Right.

Git.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**_ So it's been a very long while since the last update - alas, things irl have gotten pretty hectic! As you may notice, this chapter is written in present tense, while the previous two are in past tense. My writing style has been constantly evolving (hopefully for the better!) and currently it just feels a lot more natural to write in present tense, and as such there will be a switch for Webb's Wicked Wiles. Hopefully there're still people who're up for reading this. To all the people who've read Webb's Wicked Wiles and especially those who've taken the time to review - this one's for you! :) Looking forward to your opinions as always, cheers! :)_

It's been five days of agony – pure, concentrated agony. Sweet Circe, if they don't make a decision about the Quidditch tryouts soon, I think I'm actually going to explode. Or fly to Durmstrang. Or something. Regardless of whether or not I made the team, I just _need to know_, at this point. I can't take the anticipation any more.

I bring my heels to rest against my bum and wrap my arms around my legs, laying my head down on my knees. The cool stone wall feels refreshing against my back. The coldness seeps through my thin cardigan, but it's a comforting sort of chill. It's the comfort of countless students before me, leaning back against the balcony wall of the Astronomy Tower, unable to sleep in the wee hours of morning. People consumed by thoughts, by desires, by hopes and dreams. People seeking respite, however brief, however fleeting, for a few hours of protected darkness before sunrise.

It's a beautiful feeling.

Yeah, I swear to Merlin I'm not a loner or anything. But like – when your best friends are the likes of Lily Evans, Emmeline Vance and Marlene McKinnon, peace and quiet aren't exactly common commodities.

I close my eyes, savouring the serenity.

_Breathe in, breathe out_.

Might as well practice my meditative breathing while I'm here, right?

A loud thump resounds from behind me, followed by some scuffling and cursing. I crack open one eye and raise a brow. Really hoping it's not some couple coming up here to go at it or anything – definitely not something I want to see tonight.

The noises subside, so I close my eyes again.

Two entangled bodies fall into my peripheral vision as my eyelids retract upwards lightning-fast in alarm. "What—"

"Oof!"

"Gerroffme—"

I stand up quickly. "What's going on?"

Oh. My. Merlin. "James?" The incredulity in my tone is almost palpable.

A bespectacled head peers up at me. "Er – Norah?"

"What are you _doing?" _I regret asking as soon as the words are out of my mouth. If they're about to hook up, I really don't want to know any details, thank you very much.

A mousy brunette head shoots up from under his elbow. "No, no, Norah – you've got it wrong, it's not like that –"

I notice the girl for the first time; it's Dorcas Meadowes from our year. We get along fine, sharing a dorm room and all, but we're not super close or anything. I think she might actually be friends with Greta, come to think of it.

"Er – hi, Dorcas..." Well. This isn't awkward at all or anything.

"We just – astronomy – and kind of tripped –"

My hand rises, palm out, to stop her. "Really, it's quite alright – "

"No, really, I swear, it's not like that – "

James clears his throat. "Actually, Webb – could I talk to you for a moment?"

My ears perk up at the formality of his tone and the use of my last name. "Yeah, sure." Thud, thud, thud goes my heart, thumping away loudly. "What's up?"

James gestures to one of the telescopes and asks Dorcas to set up the equipment, then leads me further along the curve of the tower so that we're a good couple of feet away. "How're you doing, Norah?"

Oh sweet Circe – "I'm doing good, yeah – how're – you doing okay?" Calm down, Norah, calm down, just keep calm. Breathe, breathe, breathe, come on.

James nods. "Yeah, not bad myself."

I nod too. "Good, good."

"So –"

"Yeah?" I ask, a little over-eager. Please let it be about Quidditch, please let it be about Quidditch – I'm begging here, Merlin! I colour a little at the fact that I've just cut him off.

"So I know on Saturday Pad—Sirius said that we would get back to you about the Quidditch tryouts and all."

"Yeah?" Oh Merlin, it is about Quidditch! Suddenly I'm not too sure if I'm ready to hear the decision yet.

"So Sirius wanted to tell you that you were actually our back up choice, and basically put you on a waiting list while we talked it out with our first choice and see if he wanted the position."

Wait – _what?_

James is positively beaming though, so I'm not sure how to respond. Inside, I feel something crack a little. I didn't get the position?

"But I don't think that's really necessary."

What? He doesn't think a waiting list is necessary? Is he cutting me straight out?

"Sirius thought that if we told you that you were the backup choice and only got it because someone else passed on the position, you would work harder."

None of this is making any sense to me.

"But I really don't think that's necessary, to put you through that extra agony."

Wait... as in I've made the team?

James taps his nose conspiratorially. "This is just between us, yeah, that I told you this? As far as Sirius knows, I've told you that we'll get back to you in another couple days. But just between you and me, Norah, congratulations – you're officially our newest Chaser!"

"Ohmigosh, I don't know what to –" And next thing I know, I've got my arms around his neck and I'm crushing him in an engulfing hug.

James chuckles good-naturedly. "I can tell already – you're going to be very dedicated and passionate, aren't you?"

I release him. "Yes, yes, I will!" I can't help but jump up and down a little from giddy excitement. "Thank you so much – I'm so excited! I _promise_ I won't let you down!"

He gives me a stern look. "You better not!"

I shake my head reverently.

His face relaxes into an easy-going smile. "I'm just kidding. But yeah, we're actually hanging out as a team for Hogsmeade weekend this time around. I think you should join us; it'll be a good bonding experience, and we should start integrating you into the team as soon as possible. Also, we'll swing by and pick up some Quidditch supplies while we're there."

I'm so excited I can barely contain myself. "Yeah! Awesome, great! Yeah, that sounds wonderful!"

He smiles. "Excellent. I'll see you then."

I let out another little squee, thank him again, and then dash off down the stairs. I can't wait to tell the girls – like sweet Circe, night is _made!_

* * *

I blow into the dormitory like a whirlwind on steroids, flapping my arms excitedly, mouth working furiously fast, flickering between a proud grin, a full-fledged smile and a sly sneer. I let out a whoop of elation, anticipating seeing the looks on their faces when I tell them the excellent news. I know Emmy'll be beyond excited – she's on the team too, as a Beater. She's lean, but she's fast and she's got wicked aim.

The only other person in the dormitory is Marlene though.

She looks up at me in surprise. "What's going on?"

I rush up and envelope her in my arms. "Marly! Oh my sweet Merlin, guess who's the newest Chaser of the Gryffindor Quidditch team?"

"No. Freaking. Way! Get out!" We jump up and down together on her bed for a good couple minutes before I remember James asking me to keep it between us for now.

"Wait, wait, wait!" I pull her down onto the bed so that we're seated cross-legged and facing each other. "We need to just keep it on the down low for now, okay?"

A slight frown takes over her face. "O-kay... why?"

I hesitate. "Well, James asked me too, so..." Gotta listen to the team captain, right?

"Potter?" A strange expression takes over her face, and I'm pretty sure it has to do with her opinion of his "crush" on Lily. "Why?"

I shake my head impatiently. "Look, it's not really important; just promise me you'll keep it quiet for now?"

"Okay, okay," she reassures me placatingly. "But do tell me more!"

"We-ell... there's really not all that much more to tell, to be honest."

"Come on, there's got to be _something."_

"Okay," I relent. "So apparently this weekend – for Hogsmeade – we're all going to be basically hanging out as a team and stuff, so that'll be cool."

Her frown deepens a little, looking kind of out of place on her pretty face. "The whole team?"

I think for a second. "Yeah, I think so."

"Sirius too?"

I sigh deeply. "Yeah, I would assume so." I make a fist with one hand and punch it into the other. "Damn, I'd kind of forgotten that he's on the team too, but yeah."

"He's so hot."

I look up at Marly in surprise. "What?"

"Don't you think he's attractive-looking?" she gushes, leaning forward and clasping my hands. Oh, so now she's excited.

I squint at her, seeing her in a new light now. "Yeah..." I say slowly. "I guess kind of... I don't know, he's not really my type or anything though."

Marly throws a pillow at my head. "What is your type, Norah? You've never even kissed a boy, much less had a relationship!"

I duck out of the way just in time. Damn, I've got good Quidditch reflexes! "Marly!" I toss the pillow back at her, gently enough for her to catch it easily. "No, but seriously, he's kind of a jerk," I say, thinking of Greta. Being reminded of what I'd promised her I'd do. And instantly wishing I could forget about it all.

"Nor-ah!" she sing-songs at me.

I snap back to attention. "Yeah, sorry – kind of just zoned there for a second."

"Right. I just asked you whether you think it'd be alright if I joined you guys at Hogsmeade this weekend as well? The team, I mean."

"Yeah, sure, I don't see it being a problem," I respond vaguely, my mind a million miles away contemplating how I was going to help Greta. Being on the team now would certainly give me more access.

"Wonderfully!" exclaims Marly, clasping her hands together joyfully.

I'm so caught up in my thinking that I miss the mischievous glint in her eye.

Which is oh so unfortunate.


	4. Chapter 4

My head droops forward, coming within an inch of my toast. Lily grabs the back of my collar and wrenches me upright just before I make contact though. Which would have been bad, considering it's smothered in syrup.

"Thanks," I mutter, still groggy.

Lily makes a sound deep in her throat, simultaneously a trill of sympathy and a cluck of disapproval.

"Has anyone seen Emmy?" I'm starting to worry; I haven't seen her since breakfast yesterday morning.

Marlene shrugs on my other side. "Beats me." She takes in a forkful of eggs. "I don't think she came back last night," she mumbles around her food.

Lily sighs. "I hope she's at least almost done her History of Magic essay."

I can't help but snort. "Doubtful."

"Ladies, good morning," a smooth voice says from behind my shoulder, rich and full and deep like Nutella.

Marlene chokes a little, gagging comically.

I turn around. Did I say smooth and rich and full voice? I meant to say scratchy and annoying and arrogant.

"Hi Webb. Marlene." James slides in across from Lily excitedly. "Evans, top of the morning to you! How's it going?"

"Fine, Potter." I can tell that Lily's struggling to maintain adequate civility in her tone.

James is undeterred though, still grinning like a little boy who's just received a bright red fire engine for a present. "Personally, I'm starved." He starts shovelling scrambled eggs onto his plate. Sirius slides in beside him, effectively sitting straight across from me.

Great, just great. Now I'll have to look at his arrogant face all breakfast. Wonderful start to the day, really.

I look over his head. Greta has just walked into the Hall as well. She gestures slightly, indicating that I should put into action our – her – plan for vengeance. I really can't deal with this right now.

I scowl into my eggs, savagely ripping a chunk of toast with my teeth and chewing vigorously.

"What happened to your face, Webb?"

I look up in surprise. "What?"

"Your face," Sirius repeats. "Something happen to it?"

I stare at him blankly, uncomprehending. "Excuse me?"

"It looks foul," he explains.

Reflexively, I whip my half-eaten toast at him. "Bugger off!"

Sirius deflects, and it ends up hitting James' head, syrup colliding with hair. It sticks there like a really bad headpiece.

My hands rise to clap over my mouth. "Oh dear, sorry, Potter!"

"Prongs, it was an accident – totally not my fault. Webb threw it at you!"

"What? No, I threw it at Black because he insulted my face."

"I meant to say your face looked like you smelled something foul." Sirius peels the toast from James' head. Lily is barely stifling her laughter from beside me, hiding behind a hand. A couple of occasional chuckles escape nonetheless.

I stare at him in disbelief. "That's clearly not what you meant." Rude git.

James still seems to be in shock. "My... my hair..."

Marlene gives him a sympathetic look. "Your hair looks fine, Potter, calm down."

"That is what I meant!" Sirius insists.

A strike of inspiration hits me. "You know what?" I snarl at him.

"What?" His voice is a challenge, not about to back down.

"You're right. I do smell something foul."

Marlene looks at me. "I don't smell anything."

I ignore her. "You. You smell like rude beast and stupid git and dirty imbecile and donkey dung." I wrinkle my nose for effect. "You should probably go shower. Wouldn't want to force an evacuation of Hogwarts due to your stench."

Our section of table slowly goes quiet; even those sitting near us have paused their conversations to listen in on ours.

I expect Sirius to retort or throw food at me or something. Anything. Instead, he's staring at me with an intensity that almost scares me. His expression is unreadable.

Lily and James make eye contact accidentally, and then they both awkwardly look away.

Marlene breaks the silence by giggling nervously beside me. "Oh come off it, Norah. Sirius is one of the best looking guys in school."

I can't even bring myself to break eye contact with Sirius to glare at her.

Bellatrix walks by, flanked by Narcissa on one side and a bulky Slytherin boy on the other. "What stench would that be, Webb? The stench of blood traitor?"

And then all hell seems to break loose.

Sirius sends a Jelly-Legs jinx at her, which Bellatrix quickly counters with a Stinging Hex. Marlene dives under the table, shrieking a little.

Narcissa and the other boy simultaneously raise their wands. Lily leaps to her feet and exclaims, "Flipendo!" sending them both flying backwards.

Bellatrix and Sirius are exchanging hexes and jinxes at a rapid rate. The students around us have all shuffled to get away. Despite my desire not to, I can't help but admire Sirius' wand work for a moment.

"Expelliarmus!" I shout, finally joining the fray. I mean, it is kind of my fault that it started.

I catch both their wands and the full brunt of their glares.

Suddenly everyone goes slack and stare at me like I've sprouted an extra head. A second later, it all makes sense. A hand clamps down hard on my shoulder. "Webb."

I turn around slowly. "P—Professor Beery." I drop my hands to my side, now clutching three wands between them. "I'm sorry, I—"

"An explanation won't be necessary at this time." He sweeps his gaze across the scene. "Headmaster's Office, now. All of you."

I gulp. "A—all of us?" Marlene squeaks.

"Yes, Miss McKinnon," he answers. "All of you."

We shuffle into line. "Kindly return Mr. and Miss Black's wands to them, Miss Webb."

I do it quickly and meekly, avoiding both their gazes.

Narcissa bumps into my shoulder hard as we follow Beery out of the Great Hall, curious stares at our back. "Way to go, Webb," she snarls.

"Great going," Bellatrix mutters, stalking ahead angrily.

Lily gives my hand a quick squeeze. It's a reassuring gesture. "Thanks," I whisper. She nods.

"Thanks a lot, Webb," adds the other Slytherin boy, grunting.

"And who are you?" I say acidly.

Sirius stalks past me without a word as well. This is strike two, and I know it. First spilling a drink on him and now this...

Well, let's just say this doesn't bode well for my position on the Quidditch team.

James walks up beside Lily, keeping pace. "Let's just hope we don't get detention times that affect Quidditch practice," he says. "Fingers crossed!" He raises both hands to show us.

I breathe out a small exhalation of relief. So this means I'm still on the team then?

I mean, it's not like Sirius and James don't get a ton of detentions either way, considering that they're both quite the troublemakers.

"Fingers crossed," I agree, repeating the gesture.

Here's hoping that things will start looking up after this.

I mean, it's not like it could any worse. Right?


End file.
